sospendevate

Sospendevate is the second-person plural imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb sospendere, meaning to suspend. In English it corresponds to “you were suspending” or “you used to suspend.” It is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past when the subject is you all (voi).

Etymology and meaning: The verb sospendere derives from Latin suspendere, from sub- “under” + pendere “to hang.” In modern Italian, sospendere can mean to halt temporarily, to suspend an activity or service, or to suspend a rule or process as a temporary measure. The imperfect form sospendevate emphasizes duration or habit in the past.

Usage notes: The imperfect is commonly used in narrative or descriptive passages to set scenes or describe repeated past actions. Sospendevate can apply to concrete actions (suspending a service or activity) as well as to more figurative suspensions (e.g., delaying decisions). It contrasts with passato remoto sospendeste or with compound tenses such as avete sospeso or ha sospeso, which place the action as completed.

Examples:

- Durante la riunione, voi sospendevate i lavori per discutere nuove proposte. (During the meeting, you were suspending the work to discuss new proposals.)

- In tempi di crisi, voi sospendevate i pagamenti. (In times of crisis, you were suspending the payments.)

Related forms: sospendere (infinitive), sospendete (present you plural), sospendevamo (we were suspending/used to suspend), sospendete (you all suspend in present), sospese (past participle sospeso).